Swimming pool and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

The method of making a swimming pool includes steps of excavating a cavity in the ground, lining the cavity with reinforcing rod, retaining mesh in a position inwardly spaced from the reinforcing rod, pouring concrete in the space between the surface of the cavity and the mesh to encapsulate the reinforcing rod, with the mesh serving as an inner form for retaining the concrete and forming impressions in the concrete to provide a rough surface to be plastered, and plastering the rough surface to form an exposed inner pool surface of plaster. Thus, the swimming pool includes the reinforcing rod, the mesh, the retainer means, the poured concrete pool wall encapsulating the reinforcing rod and having impressions formed therein by the mesh, and plaster adhering to the concrete surface at the mesh and the impressions formed in that surface for forming the exposed inner surface of the pool.

Teschner [4 1 Sept. 3, 1974 [54] SWIMMING POOL AND METHOD or MAKING THE SAME [76] Inventor: Allen R. Teschner, Grant Ave.,

Jensen Beach, Fla. 33492 [22] Filed: Mar. 29, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 346,018

[52] U.S. Cl 52/169, 52/169, 52/742, 52/432, 264/34 [51] Int. Cl E04b l/16, EOZd 27/00, E04h 7/18 [58] Field of Search 52/169, 742, 432-444; 264/33, 34, 31

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12,161 1/1855 Harmon 52/444 287,552 10/1883 Lapersonnerie 52/444 1,869,265 7/1932 Leriche et a1 264/31 1,876,205 9/1932 Crom 264/31 3,416,268 12/1968 52/742 3,726,950 4/1973 264/34 3,748,810 7/1973 Mattingly 52/742 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-James L. Ridgill, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-O1tman and Flynn [57] ABSTRACT The method of making a swimming pool includes steps of excavating a cavity in the ground, lining the cavity with reinforcing rod, retaining mesh in a position inwardly spaced from the reinforcing rod, pouring concrete in the space between the surface of the cavity and the mesh to encapsulate the reinforcing rod, with the mesh serving as an inner form for retaining the concrete and forming impressions in the concrete to provide a rough surface to be plastered, and plastering the rough surface to form an exposed inner pool surface of plaster. Thus, the swimming pool includes the reinforcing rod, the mesh, the retainer means, the poured concrete pool wall encapsulating the reinforcing rod and having impressions formed therein by the mesh, and plaster adhering to the concrete surface at the mesh and the impressions formed in that surface for forming the exposed inner surface of the pool.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEuszra m4 Em M SWIMMING POOL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ln-ground swimming pools are often made at the present time by spraying gunite on a backing. It has been found that this method requires a considerable amount of labor and equipment and also takes more time than would be desirable. There has been a need for a simpler and less expensive swimming pool construction, and an efficient method of making an improved swimming pool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an in-ground concrete swimming pool including reinforcing rod adjacent to the surface of a pool cavity in the ground, mesh spaced inwardly of the pool from the reinforcing rod for retaining the concrete of the pool as poured, retainers for retaining the mesh spaced from the rod, a poured concrete pool wall filling the space between the mesh and the ground surface of the cavity, with the pool wall having a rough inner surface as a result of impressions made therein by the mesh, and plaster lining the rough surface of the concrete and adhering to the impressions in the rough surface for forming the exposed inner surface of the pool.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved swimming pool made of poured concrete. 4

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of making a swimming pool by pouring concrete behind a mesh retainer which acts as a form for the concrete.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roughened surface at the inside of the concrete by the action of the mesh retainer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple means for retaining the mesh in place inside a cavity for the pool excavated in the ground.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the retaining of mesh in front of reinforcing rod in a pool cavity in the ground preparatory to pouring concrete behind the mesh;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating twist ties which affix the mesh to the reinforcing rod;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the final twist in the ties; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing the construction of the concrete pool wall.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In carrying out the method of the invention, the first step is to excavate a cavity 10 for the pool in the ground. Reinforcing rods 12 are then placed in the cavity next to the surface thereof. The reinforcing rods rest against spacers l l at the inside surface of the cavity 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, twist ties such as 14 are affixed to the reinforcing rods 12 by twisting the ties 14 between the rods and the position where a mesh 16 is to be located. The mesh 16 is then placed between the free ends 18 of the ties-l4 in a position spaced only slightly less than the thickness of the wall to be poured from the rods 12. The mesh 16 is preferably a wire mesh material having openings of approximately 2 inches by 4 inches. As shown in FIG. 4, the free ends 18 of the twist ties 14 are then twisted again about the opposite side of the mesh 16 to lock the mesh firmly in place. The twist ties 14 are of a relatively stiff material and yet are bendable so that they will hold the mesh 16 in the position shown in the drawings. The tips of the ties are bent back behind the wires.

A form board 20 is then placed against the inside of the mesh 16 at the top edge thereof. The form board 20 is relatively narrow, and its purpose is to act as a form for poured concrete which will make a smooth surface at the top of the pool wall after it has been poured.

Concrete is then poured in the space between the ground surface 10 and the mesh 16. Surface 10 and mesh 16 act as the forms which retain the concrete until it sets. The concrete tends to ooze slightly through the spaces in the mesh 16 so that the mesh forms impressions 22 in the inner surface of the concrete wall as shown in FIG. 5. Excess material is scraped off, but the material sags slightly leaving gaps behind the wire mesh which can be filled by plaster. Thus the wire mesh acts like a lath. The inner surface 24 of the concrete wall is generally rough, partly because of the impressions 22. However, the top of the inner surface 24 is smooth due to the action of the form board 20.

Tile 26 is then affixed to the upper portion of surface 24 as shown in FIG. 5. The lower portion of surface 24 is plastered to form an inner pool surface 28 made of plaster.

The final pool construction includes the reinforcing rods 12 encapsulated in the concrete wall 23, the mesh 16 forming impressions or indentations in the surface 24 of wall 23, the twist ties 14 extending between the rods 12 and the mesh 16, the plaster 28 and the tile 26.

Thus, the invention provides a simple swimming pool construction, and an efficient method of making the swimming pool.

I claim:

1. An in-ground concrete swimming pool comprising:

reinforcing rod means adjacent to the surface of a pool cavity in the ground for reinforcing the concrete of the swimming pool,

mesh means spaced inwardly of the pool from said reinforcing rod means providing an inner form having openings with no backing for retaining the concrete of the pool as poured about said rod means allowing some concrete to squeeze through the openings to form a rough surface,

retainer means for retaining said mesh means spaced from said rod means,

a poured concrete pool wall filling the space between said mesh means and said ground surface of said cavity for encapsulating said rod means,

said pool wall having an outer surface directly contacting the earth with no intermediate form,

said pool wall having a rough inner surface as a result of concrete which has squeezed through said openings, and

plaster lining said rough surface and covering said mesh means for forming the exposed inner surface of the pool.

2. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 in which said retainer means comprises a plurality of twisted ties.

3. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 2 in which said ties are affixed to said rod means and said mesh means and are twisted between the same.

4. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 in which said ties have inner ends twisted on opposite sides of said mesh means.

5. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 in which said concrete pool wall has an upper edge having tile adhered thereto.

6. The method of making a swimming pool comprismg:

excavating a cavity in the ground,

lining the cavity with reinforcing rod,

retaining mesh having openings in a position inwardly spaced from said reinforcing rod, pouring concrete directly against the ground in the space between the surface of said cavity and said mesh to encapsulate said reinforcing rod, with the mesh having no backing and serving as an inner form for retaining the concrete and allowing some concrete to ooze through said openings to provide a rough surface to be plastered, and

plastering said rough surface to form an exposed inner pool surface of plaster with said mesh encapsulated under the plaster and forming a permanent part of the pool.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 in which said step of retaining mesh adjacent to said rod is carried out by affixing twist ties to the rod, twisting the ties between the rod and the position of the mesh, placing the mesh in that position, and twisting the ties about the mesh.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 in which the concrete is poured against a form board only at an upper edge of the pool, with the form board serving to form a smooth upper surface for receiving tile.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 including the step of applying tile to said smooth surface. 

1. An in-ground concrete swimming pool comprising: reinforcing rod means adjacent to the surface of a pool cavity in the ground for reinforcing the concrete of the swimming pool, mesh means spaced inwardly of the pool from said reinforcing rod means providing an inner form having openings with no backing for retaining the concrete of the pool as poured about said rod means allowing some concrete to squeeze through the openings to form a rough surface, retainer means for retaining said mesh means spaced from said rod means, a poured concrete pool wall filling the space between said mesh means and said ground surface of said cavity for encapSulating said rod means, said pool wall having an outer surface directly contacting the earth with no intermediate form, said pool wall having a rough inner surface as a result of concrete which has squeezed through said openings, and plaster lining said rough surface and covering said mesh means for forming the exposed inner surface of the pool.
 2. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 in which said retainer means comprises a plurality of twisted ties.
 3. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 2 in which said ties are affixed to said rod means and said mesh means and are twisted between the same.
 4. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 in which said ties have inner ends twisted on opposite sides of said mesh means.
 5. The swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 in which said concrete pool wall has an upper edge having tile adhered thereto.
 6. The method of making a swimming pool comprising: excavating a cavity in the ground, lining the cavity with reinforcing rod, retaining mesh having openings in a position inwardly spaced from said reinforcing rod, pouring concrete directly against the ground in the space between the surface of said cavity and said mesh to encapsulate said reinforcing rod, with the mesh having no backing and serving as an inner form for retaining the concrete and allowing some concrete to ooze through said openings to provide a rough surface to be plastered, and plastering said rough surface to form an exposed inner pool surface of plaster with said mesh encapsulated under the plaster and forming a permanent part of the pool.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 6 in which said step of retaining mesh adjacent to said rod is carried out by affixing twist ties to the rod, twisting the ties between the rod and the position of the mesh, placing the mesh in that position, and twisting the ties about the mesh.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 6 in which the concrete is poured against a form board only at an upper edge of the pool, with the form board serving to form a smooth upper surface for receiving tile.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 8 including the step of applying tile to said smooth surface. 